The Importance of Your Iguanas Habitat

It is essential that you know about the habitat surrounding your pet iguana so that he can enjoy maximum comfort and security in captivity. In the wild, iguanas play a crucial role in the ecosystem and just like with most animals and plants, any small change or disturbance in the population of iguanas can negatively affect the balance of the entire ecosystem.

It is not easy to take care of an iguana or to mimic the natural ecology of its home. Because iguanas rely on their environment for some basic needs like body chemistry, heat and metabolism, it becomes a difficult task to ensure the correct environment in captivity.

Iguanas are adapted to live in humid hot environments and the enclosures provided to them can be very different from this which is not good. Therefore it is crucial that you provide an environment that is conducive to you iguana’s health and well being because otherwise they are likely to fall ill and die.

In order to survive in captivity, iguanas need the following: A room or cage that is large enough to hold an iguana that will reach 6 feet in length. Even a 55 gallon aquarium is insufficient space for your iguana after one year of growth.

The minimum length of the cage should be twice the length of the iguana and the height should be 6 feet. The width should be at least half of the iguana’s length. Because they are arboreal, iguanas love to climb up trees and to lie on the tree tops . Therefore, make sure that there is at least a small branch to hang onto. The larger the cage or enclosure, the better and healthier it is for your pet.

If your iguana inhabits a small cage, he will not have enough space to move around comfortably and exercise. This can lead to a weakness in muscles because they build fat from being stagnant.

Iguanas need to bask in a temperature of around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and the air temperature should be no less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what they are used to. The correct temperature will assist in proper digestion and incorrect temperatures will lead to problems in the digestive system.

You must remember that heat must also be supplied at night time but not from a light source because iguanas, like humans, need darkness to sleep.

Your iguana’s habitat will affect its health, growth and well being. If you do not take these basic things into consideration then your pet will not survive in captivity. You need to make sure that you can provide all these things before you purchase your pet otherwise your pet will surely get ill and die. Just make sure that you have researched and read about all the aspects that go into taking care of an iguana and you will be fine. Even though the task may seem difficult, it will be worth it in the end when you see how well your pet has developed.